A conflict of interest is defined as any situation in which financial or personal obligations may compromise or present the appearance of compromising an individual’s or group’s professional judgment in conducting, reviewing or reporting research.
Conflicts of interest may arise because the intellectual property involved in many research discoveries, industry academic partnerships, and pharmaceutical or biotech companies may offer researchers or staff incentives for conducting trials or enrolling subjects.
As one method of preventing, monitoring, managing, and resolving conflicts of interest, the Institutional Review Board (IRB) requires full disclosure of conflicts of interest by investigators. Full disclosure demonstrates good faith and protects the integrity of the research and the reputation of the institution and the investigator.
The policies to identify and manage institutional, IRB member and investigator conflicts of interest with research conducted at Marshall University are described in the Human Research Protection Program Standard Operating Procedures Manual (see the Conflict of Interest Chapter).
For information or assistance regarding Conflict of Interest matters, contact Amy Melton, 304-696-4365.